Dear Families,
A relatively snowless winter means an earlier end to the school year than usual. As of today, we have only 5 days of school left, which means a rapid acceleration towards summer. The next week is full of field trips, family breakfasts, temporary and final farewells, and lots of planning for next year. The end of the year is a time for celebration! But it’s also a time for reflection. As children anticipate next year’s transition to a new class, a new school, or perhaps back to a home country, it’s a good time to look back on how much they’ve grown over the last 180 days. And because children live in the present, they may not even be aware of just how far they’ve come. So, in the hustle and bustle of shifting from school year to summer, take a moment to pause and reflect on their journey this year. Then tell them how you proud you are!
While students transition from school year to summer and then into new grades next year, our school will be undergoing some transitions, too. For the first time in many years, we have no summer programs in our building. This is because we have a number of building projects planned for the summer break. We’re getting a new roof (and eventually solar panels), a renovated playground (construction beginning this week!), some new classroom flooring, improvements to our front entry way, and potentially a few other projects. If you were planning to hang out on our playground over the summer, you might want to make alternative plans.
Along with building improvements, we’ll also enter next year with new staff. We bid farewell to Jodie after five great years as our School Operations Manager and welcome Claudie as our new Assistant Principal. We are thrilled to have her join the leadership of G&P! We also say goodbye to Florinda Freda, our longtime Early Literacy Interventionist, who has taught hundreds of students how to read over her 33 year career. She’s truly a magical teacher and will be missed. Meanwhile, we are moving from looping to single graded classrooms in general education to better focus on the integration of our students across programs, building up teacher teams, and enhancing our project-based curriculum at every grade level. We’re also exploring a partnership with EL Education, the better to focus on creating a cohesive G&P experience for all students. But at the same time, G&P retains its essential core: a deep commitment to all students in the context of an engaging, authentic and inclusive curriculum for all... but now, with fewer
roof leaks!
Have a great summer, everyone. See you in the fall!
Best,
Tony